With the functioning of Parliament relatively smoother last week, the Government is keen on bringing important legislative agenda next week. A total of 12 Bills, sans the controversial GST legislation, will be taken up — seven in the lok Sabha and five in the Rajya Sabha.
The financial and legislative agenda for the lok Sabha during the week, beginning Tuesday — Monday is a holiday on account of Shivaratri — include Bills like the Enemy Property (Amendment & Validation) Bill, 2016 to replace an Ordinance, the Adhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Bill, 2016, and the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
The financial business includes two Appropriation Bills relating to Demands for Grants on Account (Railways) for 2016-17 and Supplementary Demands for Grants (Railways) for 2015-16, two Appropriation Bills relating to Demands for Grants on Account (General) for 2016-17 and Supplementary Demands for Grants (General) for 2015-16 after initiation and conclusion of discussion.
The Rajya Sabha is expected to take up for consideration and passage of the Bureau of Indian Standards Bill 2015, the Whistleblowers Protection (Amendment) Bill 2015 and the National Waterways Bill 2016, which were approved by the lok Sabha. The Upper House is also likely to take up the Child labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012 in addition to consideration and return of Appropriation Bills relating to Railway and General Budgets to the lok Sabha.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that the Government was likely to also move the Real Estate (Development & Regulation) Bill which is pending in the Upper House. During the first two weeks of the ongoing Budget session, both the Houses passed the Election laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016 giving voting rights to the people who became Indian Citizens following the exchange of conclaves between India and Bangladesh.
In addition, the Rajya Sabha has passed two more Bills which were earlier passed by the lok Sabha --- The High Court and Supreme Court (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2015 and The Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
While the Congress is opposing the new format of GST and has been pressing to bring the legislation in its former format as was drafted by the Manmohan Singh Government, it has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, asking them to have the Real Estate Bill passed in the first leg of the Budget session of Parliament.
Recalling that the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill was approved for introduction in the Rajya Sabha by the Cabinet in June 2013, former Union Minister Ajay Maken said the legislation was then introduced in the Upper House with the sole aim that it would not lapse on the dissolution of 15th lok Sabha.